Mods, please indulge me: Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers

[DisDaydreamer]

Anyone is welcome to link to or save.

[IMG]http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n219/arizonaborn/NIU.jpg[/IMG]

 

[jimmytammy]

We will keep you and the entire N. Illinois family in our prayers.

 

[jakenjess]

My thoughts and prayers are with you and all who were touched by this horrible tragedy.

 

[BCV23]

Adding you to our prayers for the entire NIU community, Doctor P.

 

[gracelrm]

I, too, will keep you in my prayers, along with all the people affected by this tragedy. Doctor P, do not forget to take care of yourself during this difficult time. I know from my own experience that sometimes we concentrate so much on helping others and being the strong one because that is what our job requires, that we don't deal with our own grief and fears. Please remember to take time for yourself and your family.

 

[Doctor P]

Thanks to all for your support. I have spent the last couple of hours compiling information for the university listing all of the members of my department who interact with students in various roles. They are putting together training and counseling services for all of us and need to have precise lists of who we are and what we do. It is particularly important that they know about students who either serve as teaching assistants or teach their own independent sections since most of that information is maintained at the department rather than the university level. Fortunately, I pretty much maintain all of that information in a form that I can access quickly from almost anywhere so when I was asked to provide this info on short notice it was not too much of a stressor. I am forcing myself to stay in bed and sleep rather than getting up and working in the middle of the night (a normal pattern that has now been exacerbated by restless sleep the last few nights). As a result, I am not feeling too drained right now. I am on edge, but I am being very careful to also think about myself because I know that the worst is probably yet to come for both me and my colleagues both personally and professionally. I haven't yet walked to my office close to the scene. That will be a major step in getting through this and I expect I will go there tomorrow. Thanks again for all the support. It really is helpful and uplifting.

 

[littlestar]

My prayers are with you.

 

[btrim]

and prayers. Sandy said it the best. I work at the University of Illinois and just to think that he could have decided to walk into any building on this campus is a mind boggling thought. I know from one of our friends that it is almost impossible to move on when you lose a child. I pray that you are strong and can help the families and students affected by this horrible event start to heal. I also pray for your strength and dedication to the education and well-being of the students you interact with each day.

Bless you,
Binnie

 

[wildernessDad]

Our sympathies go out to you and NIU. You will find the strength and love to push on.

 

[CarolMN]

Adding you to our prayers for all impacted by this terrible tragedy.

 

[Kurby]

what a horrible thing to happen. it was even in our news up here in Toronto.

no one can imagine what goes through survivors minds so please make sure you talk to people and that this tragedy doesn't consume you or anyone else near you.

 

[Val]

Dr. P.....I am a prof at your sister university, ISU in Normal. I can only imagine what you are going through...I know that I was a little uncomfortable walking into my large lecture class at 9 AM on Friday, and only about 1/3 of my class was there. Our campus was eerily silent and subdued on Friday. Our campus is holding a prayer service for NIU in Redbird Arena on Tuesday- we definitely have you all at NIU in our thoughts and prayers.

Having had a stalker student for several years, I know firsthand how the universities want to look the other way. NIU was, thankfully, quite prepared. Our own ISU, I am afraid, is woefully unprepared. NIU is in a small town, in the middle of a cornfield- and it happened there!! We need to find a way to better identify students with problems- and help them before the violence starts.

I asked my students on Friday if they wanted to talk about what happened. I got the most interesting response. One student told me to just go on, lecture, and make everything the same- because that way they would know that everything was okay. The others agreed, and told me to just act normal. It seems that these kids, and in so many ways they are still kids, just want assurance and normalcy to return to their lives. I only pray that it can and will.

God bless you Dr. P.....but for the grace of God this could have been ISU. Again, my thoughts and prayers are with you.

 

[JimMIA]

You, your family, and the entire NIU community are in our prayers.

 

[MrsNick]

I will pray for you, your loved ones and community.

 

[AnnaS]

You will all be in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[mr. figment]

You and those affected will be in our thoughts and prayers.

 

[gk90]

Sending prayers and good thoughts to you and the NIU community. I teach in a community college and can only imagine how you must feel.

 

[SaratogaShan]

Doctor P,

My prayers go out to you and all who were touched by this tragedy.

I am a nurse practitioner at Georgia Tech, in student health services. After the shootings at our sister ACC school, Virginia Tech, there is not a day that goes by that I don't think "what if" kind of thoughts.

I don't ever want to witness the things that you have seen.

Take care of yourself. May your heart heal in time.

Shan

 

[disneynutt1225]

I will keep you, your family, and all others affected by this tragedy in my thoughts and prayers. Remember to take some time for yourself as well - you need to heal too.

 

[disney dumbo]

My prayers go out to you all!